Secrets of the Henna Girl
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Product Description
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A hard-hitting, important story (Sophia Bennett, Author Of Threads )
Product Description
Life as Zeba knows it could be over for good . . .
Zeba Khan is like any other sixteen-year-old girl: enjoying herself, waiting for exam results . . . and dreaming of the day she'll meet her one true love.
Except her parents have other plans.
In Pakistan for the summer, Zeba's world is shattered. Her future is threatened by an unthinkable - and forced - duty to protect her father's honour.
But does she hold the secrets that will help her escape?
Inside This Book
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
"Secrets of the Henna Girl" is a YA novel, but that's not to say adults can't enjoy it. As an English teacher, I always look for new and exciting books to get students engaged. I work in a multicultural school where most, if not all, of the underachieving students are Muslims. We looked at the first chapter of this novel as the author was coming to visit and the classes were hooked. And I'm including the boys too!
It was fast-paced, not patronizing and the language was not too simplistic. I personally think some of the language was too complex for the younger students, but that didn't stop them enjoying it.
I read the book in one evening and stayed up late reading it. The use of fast-paced narrative and cliffhanger endings to chapters keeps you reading, creating a truly "unputdownable" novel! It was refreshing to see the story set in a remote part of Pakistan that many people had not heard of (the Sindh province) breaking away from the stereotype that all Mirpuris have forced marriages. It was also refreshing to see an author who distinguished religion from culture, with the religious characters as the nobel champions of human rights rather than the tyrants.
For me, the reason the novel didn't get a full five stars was because I felt that too much emphasis was placed on the attractiveness of a "western", un-Islamic lifestyle at the end of the novel. Yes, Zeba didn't go our drinking and going to parties, but I feel not enough was done to present Islam as her alternative. Having said that, I totally understand it was not a book about Islam, but about the abhorrent cultural phenomenon of forced marriage. I also did think the title was linked very tenuously to the subject matter of the novel.
Given that I've reluctantly loaned out my signed copy to a student, with others on the waiting list, I think Sufiya's onto a winner here!
It was fast-paced, not patronizing and the language was not too simplistic. I personally think some of the language was too complex for the younger students, but that didn't stop them enjoying it.
I read the book in one evening and stayed up late reading it. The use of fast-paced narrative and cliffhanger endings to chapters keeps you reading, creating a truly "unputdownable" novel! It was refreshing to see the story set in a remote part of Pakistan that many people had not heard of (the Sindh province) breaking away from the stereotype that all Mirpuris have forced marriages. It was also refreshing to see an author who distinguished religion from culture, with the religious characters as the nobel champions of human rights rather than the tyrants.
For me, the reason the novel didn't get a full five stars was because I felt that too much emphasis was placed on the attractiveness of a "western", un-Islamic lifestyle at the end of the novel. Yes, Zeba didn't go our drinking and going to parties, but I feel not enough was done to present Islam as her alternative. Having said that, I totally understand it was not a book about Islam, but about the abhorrent cultural phenomenon of forced marriage. I also did think the title was linked very tenuously to the subject matter of the novel.
Given that I've reluctantly loaned out my signed copy to a student, with others on the waiting list, I think Sufiya's onto a winner here!
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I received my copy yesterday and my initial thought was to leave it in its retail packing as I am middle of moving homes I did not want to lose it but by mid afternoon my curiousness won and I started reading..... In the middle of cooking, cleaning and looking after my 2 children I had managed to finish the entire book by bedtime! I could not put it down!!!! Sufiya Ahmed, your book took me down memory lane, and it reminded me the knotted feeling I had when my 16th birthday arrived, realising the safety net of being under aged for marriage was no longer there and trips to Pakistan were no longer safe, which was a shame because I really loved/love Pakistan. It also reminded me of when I did go to Pakistan at the age of 20/21 and laid down my terms and conditions in front of parents! Secrets of the Henna Girl made me laugh at times and at other times very sad, at one point I was actually sobbing out loud, to which my husband responded "surely it's not that bad!" It wasn't bad at all the book is very well written and brings out emotions that only a woman, a daughter could understand. And to top it off this book made me miss my Nannyma who I saw 3 years ago. Like Zeba's Nannyma, my Nannyma is the only living grandparent! I don't want to give the plot away and definitely recommend it to all; you will NOT be disappointed, Well Done Sufiya Ahmed! Already looking forward to your next book.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Secrets of the Henna Girl
Sufiya Ahmed has written an outstanding debut novel on a very sensitive subject. Her style of writing with its simplicity, clarity and honesty makes this a compelling and engaging... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Subnum
Amazing!
I heard about this book from a friend and I was not disappointed. The story is thankfully not something I relate to but it has made me much more aware of cultural honour. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Hannah
YA novel about forced marriage
16-year-old Zeba's finished taking her GCSEs and wants to do her A-levels and go to university. But when her parents take her to Pakistan for the summer, she discovers that her... Read more
Published 2 months ago by quippe
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